The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-18

hand had touched wound should he chance
to hear his most secret and sacred hopes
made public for the crowd to cape att
That was infinitely annoying, But TO hear her
sorrow that to me seemed so holy and beau
tiful her life and her motives discussed so
brutality That was more than knew how
to endure Could man, then, have moth
ing of his own! Must his most precious
pearls be trodden underfoot by such swine.
How little l had known of the world to
imagine that my secret was my owns She,
perhaps, had learned this lesson long ago,
and had treated it as all high souls treat
trifes. But ] could not. 1t ranked!
The next morning Grimes, accompanied
by the friend who had defended me, came
to my private rooms. Grimes had been
drinking.
well, nhe began, swaggeringly, II see
your nights sleep has put you in a better
frame of mind Come, now, own that l
said the truth"
"You had better stop there | inter
rupted. II am not man to be trifled with.
Isuppose you have come TO apologize"
mo, byheavenl l."
Then we must have it out Choose your
time and placer
Here my friend interfered,
81 think YOU have been rather hasty,
HARDWOOD Grimes really seems to admire
your cousin. / do not think he in
tended
Let him speak for himself, if you
please, interrupted again
"Iswill, Grimes said, with black oath.
''Since you heap insults in my very teeth l
can fight too! Can't fellow speak girls
name, but he must be pitched into in this
styles But YOU shall see that | can meet
you on your own ground. | rather fancy a
duel There's the Zest of doing it ON the
sly and being arrested when the work $
done. You shall not have 1t all your way
this time, for all your blamed Harwocd
mulishnessm
asked my friend to make the necessary
arrangements, and they retired.
Ny friend returned in an hour. Heurged
me to give up so rash a thing, and to allow
| Grimes to make overtures, as, he insisted, l
had not done.
THE fellow is beneath me, | said. II
| had far.rather horse whip him. do not like
dueling but since | can punish him i'll no
other way, l am Just desperate enough to
| be dragged into a most ridiculous affair. l
| shall not try to kill him. My life is not
worth much | am a lonely sort of fellow,
you know. understand how you regard
| it, and you are right. A HARDWOOD should
| have foeman worthy of his steel, but it
matters very little now"
He seemed touched at my words. He
| spoke to me kindly and earnestly.
II know it was exasperating," he CON
| cluded, ''yet do not think he meant to
speak lightly of your cousin, in particular.
| He is accustomed to speak in that way of all
| girls"
Then | will teach him better than to
| speak thus of my friends. lesson that he
needs. :"
IL cannot see how you will teach him any
lesson by allowing him to shoot you down
| in cold blood; by allowing him to take a
| useful life that is worthy to end more no
| bly, And ought you not to consider the I'M
pleasant notorleUy such an affair VIII bring
on your cousinN
He had touched the right chord, and he
knew it,
what do you want me to doc" asked.
| "To accept a written apology which
will bring TO you, which | am certain l can
procure"
II have said that would take an apollo
| CIV Bring it, and, if | consider it sufficient,
] / will let you know"
| He brought it that afternoon. 1t was
| ample and characteristic. | accepted that
ungraciously enough, but had the grace &c
| thank my friend sincerely for saving me
| from the folly | had contemplated. But
| Grimes had told me truth.
| What did Bessie Harwood know of me
that she should love me? What foolish
| conceit indeed to ask her to marry man
| she knew when she was a girl of 10, with
out las he had said longer wooing.
had spoiled everything by my unseemly
haste, even if she had not loved already.
| am not proud of this episode in my life.
| should not mention it, but it belongs to the
story am trying to tell.
| fro BE CONTINUED